Wrapping Up

As I write this I'm sitting out on the balcony of our hotel in Cozumel. For the last week we've been staying in the pueblo only a block from the ocean, but the shady courtyard here feels very contained and separate from the chaos of the main drag. I'm gradually moving my chair farther and farther to the right to remain in the shade as the sun makes its steady traverse of the cloudless sky. The sound of someone playing violin has been drifting across the rooftops for the last few minutes. The music is somber, but not mournful. It's a welcome break from the usual sounds of the neighborhood - reggaeton and mariachi music, barking dogs, hammering from the new construction that's steadily rebuilding the old town into something taller, sleeker, more modern, less alive.

January left for Park City, UT yesterday morning to spend the next week hiking with her mom before we meet up back in NH. The high in Park City right now is right around freezing. A temperature that's hard for me to even conceive of at this point. All I know is 80F and above.

I did my last two dives of the trip this morning. They were everything I could have hoped for - relaxed, easy, the kind where I can spend a lot of time just staring off into the blue. I even stumbled across the largest nurse shark I've ever seen (about 5-6ft long) sleeping under an outcropping of coral. Since coming to Mexico I've logged almost 80 hours under water, but as we headed up at the end of the second dive it still didn't feel like quite enough. An eagle ray came gliding across the bottom 30ft below us as we neared the boat, as if the ocean was confirming for me that I needed more time down below.

I leave Cozumel tomorrow morning, take the ferry to Playa del Carmen, a bus to Cancun, and fly out the day after, exactly three months after first arriving in Mexico. I still haven't gotten my head around the fact that this chapter is coming to a close. It feels like it went by so fast, but also like I've been here for years. I've gotten used to the heat and the strange pace of everything in this part of the world that manages to be both frantic and disinterested as the same time. It feels normal that on a good day I only understand about half of what is being said to me. I am somehow not yet tired of tacos. I have managed to get a tan.

This trip was both a leap of faith and a proof of concept for January and I. A leap of faith because we came here with the specific goal of beginning our journey as cave divers. A path that we were initially inspired to take last year after listening to the audiobook of Jill Heinerth's memoir, Into the Planet. (Prior to that I'd actually had no interest in caves.) Diving the coral caverns in Grand Cayman shortly after sealed the deal for us. I started researching where to do cave training and it soon became clear that the Riviera Maya was the best choice. 

But as exciting as it all sounded, I wasn't completely certain whether we were ready for the challenge. Is it too early in our diving careers? Do we have good enough technique? Will we go into a real cave for the first time and totally freak out? Those questions were all in my head when we stepped into Under the Jungle on the first day of training. I definitely hoped that we were ready, and I knew the level of dedication that we were both willing to put forth, but this was our first experience with technical diving. I hardly even knew any technical divers. I'd just seen a few GUE guys in Monterey wearing their twinsets and acting aloof.

I can say now, after the fact, that we were ready. I don't believe that our skills as divers would have improved this much through any other means besides technical training. We are leaving here as safer, stronger, more thoughtful divers, and I can honestly say that I'm now getting more enjoyment from all aspects of my diving.

The proof of concept was figuring out whether we could work remotely and travel outside the US for extended periods of time. Being on the road for a couple of weeks is one thing, but really picking up and taking everything remote for the long term is a little more complicated. This is especially true for January, since she needs stable internet and regular access to a quiet, private space to see her clients. Putting in a couple hours at a coffee shop isn't an option for her.

Looking back at the last three months, I'd say it feels like a success on both fronts. January and I are leaving with Cavern and Intro Cave certifications, respectively, plus over 40 dives each worth of sidemount experience (not to mention an equal number of "fun dives" in the ocean). And we both managed to keep doing our jobs all the while! Turns out the fiber connection in the middle of the Mexican jungle is actually pretty good.

So, it all went well. I guess it then begs the question... What's next? 

Well, I'm excited to say that Jake and January's Excellent Adventure: Season 2 is just around the corner.